Abstract: In the reported studies, the image of country/nation was operationalized as the whole of associations with given country or nation. Both images were studied independently in two-stage studies – qualitative and quantitative – on independent samples. Qualitative studies on the students samples allowed to establish natural pools, not forced through top categories, of associations either with German state (N=206) or its nation (N=200). Range of common and specific associations with each of the subjects of the studies was established. Samples of the most occurring associations was used for construction of questionnaires for quantitative studies of image of Germany (N=527) as well as image of Germans (N=506), which were adequate to the natural lexicon in respect of the structure of contents as well as its evaluation. Results of the quantitative studies of the students demonstrated that the image of the nation is perceived on a larger number of dimensions than the image of the country. They have four corresponding dimensions: (1) Historical, (2) Human and material capital/Competence, (3) Motorization and (4) Sport. The Socio-political dimension is specific for the image of the country. The Asociality and Opennessdimensions are specific for the image of the nation. Socio-demographic correlates of Germany and Germans perception were checked, as well as its relation with the attitude towards country and nation.

Abstract: In research until recently, the concept of political party “personality” in political marketing did not take into account the specificity of the object of research. This article proposes a new conceptualization of party image in terms of perceived personality traits, derived directly from the achievements of social psychology, with the omission of consumer research as an intermediate stage. In a four-stage study on the need for research on party image, the attribution approach and the psycho-lexical approach were adopted from psychological theory. Dispositional party image was defined as the whole of personality trait descriptors associated with a political party. On the basis of interviews with 120 individuals aged between 18 and 81, a lexicon of political party associations was compiled. The collection of over 3200 associations was subjected to psycho-lexical taxonomy by nine judges. Frequency analysis allowed to isolate 102 descriptors of personality that are characterized by the highest accessibility in the minds of voters in the process of thinking about parties. Based on quantitative research on the image of six parties as perceived by 598 individuals aged from 18 to 80, a three-dimensional structure of personality traits attributed to parties was identified: integrity, disagreeableness, and strength. Furthermore, connections were established between personality traits attributed to parties and the attitudes as well as political preferences of voters. The last study in a sample of 234 university students confirmed the factor structure and good psychometric properties of the scale for measuring the dimensions of dispositional party image.

Abstract: The results of the Polish psycho-lexical study have been included in nearly all comparisons aimed at finding dimensions common to various cultures and languages. Because of the ambiguity concerning the interpretation of some factors and because of a number of methodological shortcomings, it was decided that another lexical study of the Polish language should be carried out. The alternative study was based on more extensive lexical material and involved a sample covering the full age range. The analyses used 547 personality-descriptive adjectives and self-ratings from 624 respondents aged from 16 to 80 years (mean age = 38.0 years). In a six-factor solution, the obtained structure was typical for many languages: Agreeableness, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Honesty and Intellect. The result of factor analysis depended on neither the type of factoring nor the type of rotation applied. The results of the study were discussed in relation to cross-language studies and to previous studies of the structure of Polish personality-descriptive lexicon.

Abstract: Based on aggregation of data collected from 279 individuals aged 16 to 70, describing 40 countries using a list of dispositional adjectives, it was established that the dimension of perception/differentiation of country images were identical at individual and cultural levels of Aggressiveness, Competence, and Spontaneity. The structure isolated at the cultural level explains 87% of variance of country image and 92% of variance of aggregated attitude towards the country. Country image was correlated with the available macro-psychological, macro-social, and macro-economic indices as well as with world development indices. The results of culture-level analyses reveal a relatively high validity of the perception of countries by Poles, which is confirmed by objective macro-indices.

Key words: country image, country personality, culture-level analysis, macro-economic indices, world development indices

Abstract:Building the reputation of companies is a long process and requires a large investment in promotional activities in the fields of advertising and public relations. A company’s involvement in a crisis can quickly destroy years of investment. In an experimental study, four factors were manipulated in order to determine how they affect the reputation of companies: (1) kind of crisis situation, (2) consensus, (3) distinctiveness, and (4) consistency. Informationabout the crisis situations were presented to respondents in the form of news articles. 400 college students took part in the study. The analysis showed a relationship between attributing causes of the negative event to a company and the deterioration of the company’s reputation. In the four-factor multivariate analysis of variance, the impact of the kind of crisis situation and information about the consistency of the company’s behavior over time was also statistically significant for these dimensions of reputation: perceived innovation, Machiavellianism, stability, and reliability of the company.

Abstract: The main goal of the conducted research was systematization of consumer perception space. During the qualitative research the lexicon of associations with consumers of 90 brands from 45 products categories has been compiled. The compilation process was the result of 100 interviews (which lasted one hour and a half each) with participants between 16 and 70 years old. Afterwards, 7 judges categorized over 23,000 collected associations. Based on frequency analysis of the lexical material, the adjective list had been compiled and the quantitative research had been executed in order to identify the structure of (1) the perceived disposition traits and (2) social aspect of the consumer image of 206 brands. Each of two sample included 280 participants (16-83 years old). The principal components analysis isolated 5 dimensions of consumer dispositional image and 4 dimensions of consumer social image. Practical effect of conducted research are scales for measuring consumer image.

Abstract: The goal of the research venture presented in this article is to propose the concept of a dispositional image of country. In the first phase, during 100 interviews with people aged 17-67 20,320 personal associations with 47 countries were collected and then given to lexical taxonomy by seven judges. Based on an analysis of frequency, 85 dispositional descriptors were isolated which were most often used by respondents in describing a country’s traits. In the next research phase, 279 people aged 16 to 70 described 40 countries with the help of a worked out adjective list. With the help of the principle components analysis, a 3-factor structure for perceiving countries was isolated: Aggressiveness, Competence and Spontaneity. Two scales for the study of the basic and detailed structure of perceiving countries in terms of personality traits were created. The factor structure and psychometric properties scales were positively verified in the third phase of research, in which 276 people aged 16 to 70 took part.

Abstract: The aim of the experimental study was to investigate the specificity of the processes of causal attributions for corporate performance which is perceived by the external observer as a success. The sample consisted of 427 students aged from 19 to 27, 51.0% of whom were women and 49.0% were men. The experiment was conducted using eight cases of positive corporate outcomes, described on the basis of content analysis of press articles and television news. 4-ANOVA revealed that the three sources of information about an event that were distinguished by Kelley (Consensus, Distinctiveness, and Consistency) influence the direction of attributions of positive outcomes, but their significance varies. The study confirmed the truth of the ideal data pattern indicating attribution to company but did not confirm the effectiveness of predicting based on the remaining ideal patterns (an attribution to object or context). However, the study allowed to identify a different pattern resulting in situational attribution. Additionally, directions for further research on causal inference for corporate performance were delineated.

Abstract: The major aim of the two-stage qualitative and quantitative study is to determine the dimensions of country image perception, based on 100 one-hour interviews with respondents aged between 17 and 63, during which 25,447 free associations were collected, pertaining to 47 countries. Through categorisation and generalisation of the associations, a list of 258 statements was compiled and used in a quantitative study of the perception of 40 countries, with 276 participants aged between 16 and 70. Principal component analysis isolated 8 dimensions of country image: Development and the Prosperity Level, Hospitality, Internal Stability and Democracy, Political and Historical Significance, Islamic Fundamentalism, Exoticism, and Dark Skin. These dimensions explain a considerable percentage of the variance in attitudes towards particular countries. The product of the research is a 38-item scale for the measurement of country image. The findings are compared with those from other countries and future prospects are presented for culture-level analysis.

Abstract: The main aim of the study was to determine the structure of product image for products described in terms of personality traits. In the first stage qualitative research was conducted, in which approximately 10,000 product category associations were collected. Next, the most frequent associations were used in a quantitative study, in which 425 students took part. Principal component analysis allowed to distinguish the most important perception dimensions of dispositional product image at the individual and aggregated levels. Cluster analysis, in turn, allowed to identify the product categories that were characterised by the greatest similarity in their personification process. Scales with high reliability indices were worked out for the measurement of dispositional product image.

Abstract: This paper describes the development of a comprehensive taxonomy of Polish person-descriptive terms, organized in two studies. In the first study, two judges searched through The Universal Dictionary of the Polish Language (100,000 terms) for person-descriptive terms. In the second study, 4555 person-descriptive adjectives were classified by nine judges into 13 different subcategories of the psycho-lexical classification system. Our studies provide comprehensive and representative lists of Polish adjectives for describing personality traits, which may be used in establishing the structure of human personality descriptions by means of self-rating or peer-rating surveys of a full age range Polish population of respondents.

Abstract: The experimental studies were intended to answer the question of whether there exist differences between predicting brand attitude on the basis of direct and indirect measurement of consumer self-image congruity with consumer brand image. Analysis of the results revealed that direct measurement of congruence was the most accurate predictor of brand attitude and purchase intention towards the brand. Out of indirect congruity measurements, it was absolute-difference models that had the highest predictive value. The predictive value of direct congruity measurement was the highest in the case of individual consumer self-image (ideal self or actual self).

Abstract: Manipulation of descriptions of eight crisis situations and three factors (consensus, distinctiveness, congruity) was carried out within 4-factor experiment to check how they influence the perception of negative events in a company. Four hundred students took part in this research. The results showed a clear tendency to seek causes of a critical situation in business entity without any connection to rational assumptions. The key factors that were to impose the direction of causal attribution were: the specific character of crisis situation and information about a congruity.. Information about consensus of the event was the most irrelevant in the process of attribution. The outcomes of the research were confronted with normative expectations which result from Kelley`s covariation model.

Abstract: Images of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia were the subjects of the personal interests of the Polish researchers, but they have never presented that the issue was based on integral methodology of researches. As a result, the studies are not compatible and images of these countries difficult to compare because of numerous methodological differences while researches were being conducted. The primary target of resuming these researches was identification of differences in perception of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia in comparison with the other countries. Undertaking has been based on identical procedures and taxonomy of associating. Researches has been done by individual interviews with applied technique of free associating; hundred people in the 17-63 age group took part in. During one hour interviews 25 447 associations with 46 countries has been collected; including 1956 about Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, which have become the subject of further detailed classification and comparative analyses. Current images of these countries were confronted with statistical data and previous experts’ estimations.

Abstract: The aim of the study was to show the role of socio-demographic and personality variables in the perception of personal brand image. The participants were 320 individuals aged between 15 and 75 (average: 36.6 years). The data for analysis were collected in several stages, with breaks of a few weeks between them in order to register permanent correlations independent of the interference between several measurements within one battery of tests. The potential determinants considered were consumer personality traits, consumer self-image (real vs. ideal; real social vs. ideal social), consumer ethnocentrism, attitude to business and advertising, individualistic and collectivistic orientation, self-esteem, locus of control, values, and reasoning by analogy. The results of the study point to a weak connection of individual differences between consumers with the perception of personal brand image. These connections become stronger only for some of the brands and variables tested. The tendencies established may constitute a general point of reference for the planning of research at a lower level of generality, pertaining to particular product categories, and for the interpretation of the results of that research.

Abstract: The aim of this research was to examine thoroughly the relationship between brand personality and consumer-based brand equity. 199 persons aged between 16 and 70 took part in the study. 165 brands belonging to 35 categories were selected for the study on the basis of a research concerning their recognition. Canonical correlation analysis indicated a connection between the dimensions of brand personality and brand equity. The core of this connection is the perceived quality of brand by consumers. The categories turned out to be a moderator of the relationship between brand equity and brand personality.

Abstract: The European Union is one of the best developed area in the world. In spite of this there is a big differentiation of the level of regional economic development and Lublin Region still remains one of the poorest regions of the united Europe. One of the purposes of European policy is to reduce these differences by, among other things, making poor regions more attractive for investors. The aim of this article is to present opinions of entrepreneurs from the Chełm-Zamość subregion of Lublin region about instruments responsible for improvement of regional attractiveness for investors.

Abstract: The aim of the study was to check whether and in what way the tragic death of the Polish political elite near Smolensk on 10 April 2010 affected the perception of politicians and political parties in Poland. A comparison was made between survey results concerning personality traits attributed to political parties two weeks before and two weeks after the crash of the presidential plane. During both stages of the study, 140 students described six Polish political parties using a list of personality descriptors. The results of the study showed that the experience of tragic events, the period of mourning, the mobilisation of society, and the insight that these afforded into the more human side of politicians changed the perception of parties on the Polish political scene. The most extensive of the changes observed were the increase of the parties' perceived openness for cooperation and the attribution of fewer asocial traits to them. The change concerned the major political parties, regardless of how many members each of them actually lost in the crash.

Abstract: The main aim of the two-stage studies was to establish the structure of the personality traits that are attributed to domestic animals by their owners. 1279 associations were collected in a qualitative study of 154 participants who described their domestic animals: dogs or cats. The lexical taxonomy of associations was performed by 7 judges. The frequency analysis allowed isolating 50 personality descriptors which are most often used by the owners describing their domestic animals. This adjective list was completed by 400 persons (age range: 15-85; 200 cat owners and 200 dog owners). A principal component analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis distinguished six dimensions: Energy, Intellect, Friendliness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Antisocial dimension. A structural equations analysis established that the structures of personality characteristics attributed to dogs, cats and self-rating of their owners were similar. A short scale, of good psychometric validity, was compiled for further studies on perceived personality of domestic animals.

Abstract: The goal of the qualitative and quantitative studies was to identify dimensions of diversity of images of countries in aspect of attributed features of personality as well as establishing position occupied by the Ukraine on these dimensions. The principal component analysis separated three dimensions (Warlike, Conscientiousness and Spontaneity) with high explanatory value of attitude towards the country as well as the evaluation of quality of goods.

Abstract: According to lexical hypothesis, all meaningful individual differences are stored in language. Analysing the structure of language, we can discover features that are responsible for the existence of individual differences. In order to establish visible features of personality among Polish politicians, a method of free associations has been used. This method is substantially free of theoretical foundations and it can serve as a tool to explore the structure of language that is used to describe politicians. For this reason, 100 interviews have been conducted with people between 19 and 64 years old. Each person had to produce as much associations as they could. The associations concerned 24 the most well-known and recognizable politicians in Polish politics. All 11776 associations that were gathered from this survey, have been classified by 9 judges, based on taxonomy by Angleitner, Ostendorf and John (1990). The article presents the results of classification and the means to use it in future research on dimension of politicians’ personality.

Abstract: The main aim of the research was identifying the dimensions of perception of Ukraine and other post-Soviet states and determining their specifications in the perception of Poles. Based on research 3 common dimensions for evaluating the country were isolated: the quality of life, political structure and economic development. Similarities and differences between countries in the subjective perception of the image were analyzed in the aspect of objective indicators.

Key words: country image, dimensions of country perception, former Soviet republics, social perception bias.

Abstract: The purpose of the research was to draw an analogy between an application of implicit personality theory to perceiving symbolic image of the brand and human personality. This study examines the specific character of forming impression of a ‘brand personality’ with the use of implicit personality theory. Two effects revealed by Solomon E. Asch (1946), a forerunner of implicit personality theory, were tested: a trait centrality and a primacy effect. 120 students took part in each of the two conducted experiments and the results of the study were analyzed with the 3-factorial MANOVA. The outcomes of the analyses indicated that people use inferential rules in describing both persons’ and brands’ personality traits. It appears that a brand image in comparison to human personality is less susceptible to change in the evaluation of a central trait (e.g. warmth vs. cold). Our study did not confirm any influence of a primacy effect on forming an impression of a brand as opposed to a personal impression. Further implications of present findings and future investigations, within the area of forming an impression of a brand personality, are being discussed.

Abstracts: The goal of realized researches was to test influence of negation (negation vs. lack of negation), kind of suggestion (direct vs. indirect) and predisposition to reactance on effectiveness of 22 press advertisements in three independent experiments, in which other factors of advertisement effectiveness were measured: (1) memorizing products and brands (n=120 students), (2) evaluation of advertisement (n=160 students), (3) attitude towards brand (n=120 students). Results of the studies showed, that negation and kind of suggestion have partial and specific influence on memorizing of subject of advertisements at the stage of encoding and reproduction. Presence of negation in advertisement causes clear fall of its attractiveness in eyes of recipients. Influence of negation and kind of suggestion on attitude towards brands should be evaluated as small after single exposition of advertisement. Predisposition to reactance as covariant in experimental model (1) leads most frequently to better remembering of contents of imperative advertisements (2) has limited relation with evaluation of these advertisements and (3) is connected with more negative evaluation of brands advertised in it, if the consumers are asked directly about it.

Abstract: The aim of researches was to investigate the influence of the similarity of brand names on transferring associations. Variables such as number of modifications, type of modifications, length of brand names and gender of respondents were tested on 4-ANOVA basis experiment. 140 students, 70 females and 70 males, took part in this experiment. Respondents were divided into 7 different groups. The experiment was composed of 2 stages, which were carried out during 2 following days. The first day was assigned to teach respondents 15 brand names and 15 associated product categories. During the second day respondents were tested in respect of recognition of the brand names, which had been modified by one, two or three letters. Modifications had been made according to either phonological or visual similarity. The results have shown that the number of modifications, type of modifications, length of brand names and gender of the respondents have great influence on wrong recognition and transferring associations related to brand names. The experiment has also shown statistically significant series of interactions between those independent variables.

Abstract: The aim of this research was to answer the question if the perception of politicians' personality traits depends on political preferences of voters. The research was conducted on the sample of 557 people (277 women, 280 men; the average age of 24,8, standard deviation 9,8) in the week prior to the parliament elections in Poland in 2007. The task of the respondents was to describe the personality of 24 most recognizable politicians on the Polish political scene with 50 adjectives describing different available traits. The results of the research have demonstrated that the greatest bias in the perception politicians' personality exists in case of leaders responsible for creating policy of their own parties with the greatest support in the society. In case of politicians with a peripheral role, leaders of parties whose chances to win a place in the parliamnet were minor and politicians who have retreated from the leader positions in their parties there exists a greater coherency of their perception.. The label of 'a party member' itself does not effect in homogenous perception of their members by the electorates of different parties.

This paper develops a brand typology based upon main markers of brand personality (Gorbaniuk, Ostrowska, 2008). 325 adolescents and students took part in the studies. Respondents described 200 brands randomly divided into 10 sets. k-means cluster analysis of the 6284 brand descriptions identified 8 types of brand personality: reliable, noble, naïve, artistic, competent, egocentric, extrovert, eccentric. These types differ from each other on 14 traits. In discussion a new paradigm for analysis and diagnosis of brand image was proposed.

Abstract: The aim of the undertaken research was to set the basic dimensions of differentiation of perceived personality profiles of politicians. 390 people, aged between 18 and 75, were describing 24 Polish politicians, who were randomly combined in 6 sets, 4 politicians each, with a list of 148 adjectives. The principal components analysis of 24 personality profiles let extract some common dimensions of differentiation of Polish politicians’ images: Competence (Intellect, Goal-directing, Realism), non-Agreeableness (Rowdiness, Uncompromising, Machiavellism), Extraversion (Openness to other, Energy), Integrity (Honesty, Patriotism). Personality profiles were correlated with the result of public opinion poll.

Abstract: One of the approaches in descriptive paradigm of the traits theory indicates that the traits are linguistic categories. In the process of social interactions, traits are conventionally created to categorize, describe and give meaning to different behaviors and experiences. Such approach to personality characteristic explains why people tend to personify inanimate and abstract objects. In the process of quality research, aiming to identify the level of personalizing political parties, free associations method was used. This method, as free from theoretical presuppositions, serves as a tool to explore the structure of the language, used to describe political parties. Between October and December 2007, 200 individual interviews was made, mostly with students from Lublin’s universities (100 before and 100 after the elections). In the next step, 11 judges classified the associations to 13 categories, proposed by Angleitner, Ostendorf and John (1990). The analysis of the results allowed answering the following questions: (1) What is the contribution of personalizing associations in the total of associations with political parties? (2) What is the contribution of disposition descriptors in the total of personifying associations? (3) Whether the contribution and structure of personalizing associations is dependant on the field of study (political party)? (4) Does the structure of free associations change after the elections?

Abstract: The main objective of the study was to verify the stability of the basic dimensions of perceived personality traits of Polish politicians. The two-stage research was conducted in the stream of the trait theory, using the material found in Polish lexical research with the extension of the adjectives specific for politicians. 390 people before election campaign and 557 people at the end of election campaign were describing 24 politicians, who were randomly combined in 6 sets, 4 politicians each, with a adjectives check list. The principal component analysis let extract four common dimensions of the politicians' perceived personalities: Competence (Intellect+Conscientiousness), Extraversion (Openness+Energy), Impulsiveness/Non-agreeableness and Honesty. The factor structure of perceived personality traits was stable. The results of the research are being discussed in the light of previous researches.

Abstract: The aim of the study was to find out about the conditionings of the attitudes towards advertisements. In an experimental study conducted by the method of a computer review 90 students took part (30 subjects from each of the three countries: Poland, Germany and Great Britain). The subjects appraised 30 press advertisements with controversial contents, selected especially for the study. The study and statistical analyses were conducted in the three-factor variance analysis design with a repeated measurement: country (Poland vs. Germany vs. Great Britain) x type of advertisement (commercial vs. social) x kind of controversy (controversial product vs. controversial presentation vs. controversial presentation of a controversial product)). In addition, a measurement of value preferences was taken. The results of the analyses have shown that controversial social advertisement are valued higher than commercial ones. Contrary to expectations, advertisements using controversial presentations got the best marks compared to advertisements using other types of controversies. The most positive attitude towards controversial advertisements was found in the British, and the least positive one – in Poles. Besides, it was found that a negative appraisal of commercial advertisements was connected with a stronger preference for traditional values and a weaker preference for hedonist ones, for dominance and for stimulation. The results of the study are discussed against the background of subject literature and the direction of the future research is shown.

Abstract: With the goal of identifying dimensions of brand personality among Polish consumers, 282 people were tested from 16-26 years of age. Respondents described 24 brands divided into 6 set with 4 brands in each from various product categories (utilitarian, symbolic/utilitarian, symbolic). The results confirmed a five factors structure obtained in previous research studies (Aaker, 1997; Aaker, Benet-Martínez, Garolera, 2001) but the content of dimensions was partly different. The isolated dimensions are Competence, Excitement, Agreeableness, Sophistication, and Snobbery. The result of the carried out research is the Brand Personality Scale composed of the presented five dimensions, thirteen facets and thirty nine personal descriptors. Particular scales obtained good internal and test-retest reliability.

Abstract: The main goal of this research was to answer 2 questions: (1) is the way of formulating advertising slogans (direct vs. indirect suggestion; negation vs. lack of negation) influences the level reactance; (2) is the reactance level in the process of advertisement receiving conditioned by reactance as disposition intensity. The research was taken on group of 120 students (60 males; average age of 23,11 years), during which respondents rated 2 press advertisements, in which slogan imperativeness was manipulated. The reactance measure exposed in reactions on every presented advertisement was based on analysis of answers contention on 5 open questions. Measure of reactance predisposition was based on QMPR questionnaire (Hong, Page, 1989). Research results show that use of (1) direct suggestions and (2) negations of suggestions rouse consumer reactance. Correlations between reactance predisposition and consumer reaction on advertising slogans was verified in case of indirect suggestion negation.

The study of the impact of erotic content on brand recall was conducted in two stages among respondents aged between 19 and 35. The subjects were shown a series of advertisements; the first and last elements were buffer advertisements, while relevant ones were between these, and they contained both erotic and non-erotic content. The first stage examined 80 subjects, testing the influence of 3 independent variables on brand recall. The variables were: the presence of eroticism, sex of the recipient and situational shame (watching an ad on one’s own or in company). The second stage used a group of 120 subjects, who were examined by means of press ads (a brochure), to determine the impact relative strength of erotic content (lack, moderate and strong), the sex of the model and sex of the recipient. Given the above, it was concluded that: (1) contrary to expectations, strong erotic undertones in ads facilitate better product and brand recall; (2) situational shame does not impact on product and brand recall; (3) erotic content in ads causes more mistakes in recognition of the advertised brands in the case of men; (4) ads featuring women facilitate better product and brand recognition; (5) sex of the recipient is moderates effectiveness of erotic ads: women better remember a given brand after seeing an ad featuring a woman (women), while men better remember a given brand after seeing and ad featuring a man (men). The results of the study are discussed in the light of Elaboration Likelihood Model.

Abstract: The goal of the achieved research was identifying the dimensions of perception of post-socialist countries and determining their specifications in the perception of Poles. The research was carried out in Warsaw, Lublin and Cracow on a sample of 311 students. The subjects of the respondents’ evaluation were Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia based on the revised version of the questionnaire for studying the country image by Martin and Eroglu (1993). Based on research, the multi-dimensions of construction of the country’s image was confirmed. 3 common dimensions for evaluating the country were isolated: the standard of life, political system and economic development. Similarities and differences in the subjective perception of the country image were analyzed in the aspect of objective indicators. Taking into consideration psychometric values of the revised scale, it was adapted to the specifics of the Polish population and can by applied in research studies on the country image.

Kewords: country image, dimensions of country image, social perception, former Soviet Union.

Abstract: The goal of conducted studies was to compare the attitude of inhabitants of Poland towards the Poles from countries of former Soviet Union, at the base of survey of students of Polish descent studying in Poland in 1997 and 2005. There were 126 participants in the studies conducted among the students from schools of Lublin in 1997, and in 2005 – 110 participants. Results of the studies show, that inhabitants of Poland do not distinguish Poles from representatives of other nationalities inhabiting countries of former Soviet Union. In comparison with previous generation, students are presently characterized by smaller sensitivity to opinion of the surrounding, bigger self-reliance and self-sufficiency in process of adaptation to Polish conditions. Tendency to bigger isolation of students in groups with similar cultural experience was observed.

Abstract: The aim of the experiment was to investigate the impact of instruction to imagine and narrativity of press ad’s content on its memory, attitude toward the ad and brand image. The study was conducted on the group of 80 high school students. Participating high school students answered questions gathered in scales measuring attitude toward the ad and degree of its memory after presenting them ad’s two versions, one of which contained text conveyed in a list and the other one consisted of narrative. Some participants recieved instruction to imagine advertised product but the other group did not recieve that kind of instruction. Results show that imaging advertised product increases degree of ad’s memory and influences brand image in a positive way. Also, narrative form of a message influences positively attitude toward the ad.

Abstract: The research was conducted to investigate the determinants of consumers’ attitudes toward using new technology during the buying process (e-commerce). Two hundreds seventy four subjects participated in this study. The age of participants ranged from 19 to 55. One hundred thirty nine participants used the Internet for shopping, 135 participants were Internet users but had never done online shopping. The results are compatible to a large degree with studies that have been carried out in developed countries. The online shoppers are more impulsive in making decisions (during shopping), more variety oriented, and more risk tolerant than Internet users who do not shop online. Additionally, online purchasers accept new product faster than do traditional consumers. The relevant predictors of online shopping behavior are also: the attitude toward process of shopping, attitude toward computers and an experiential orientation (people who are experientially-oriented like seeing, touching and trying products before buying). The general model of psychological determinants was tested by path analysis. The path analysis showed that the theory of planned behavior by Ajzen and Fishbein can be a very useful tool in predicting online shopping behavior.

Abstract: The article presents the authors’ theory of engagement in the advertisement message. It combines the issue of the effects of structural features on the perception of the media message and the literature reports on engagement in the context of advertising. The presented study concerned the associations between the engagement in the class of the product, cuts in the material, the number of its repetitions, and the memory of the information from the message and its evaluation by the viewer. For this purpose, an advertising message was created in three versions, with different numbers of cuts. One hundred and eighty students watched the advertisement intervened by short cartoons from one to three times, depending on the group assignment. The findings unequivocally indicate that both the number of cuts, repetitions and engagement into the class of the product had effects on the memory of the information from the message, and engagement into the class of the product had an additional effect on the evaluation of the message. The conducted analyses suggest, however, that the most important variables accounting for the scores in the memory test were: the number of repetitions, engagement in the class of the product and gender of the viewers. The discussion of the results demonstrates potential high usefulness of the proposed model of engagement and provides suggestions for further research and possibilities of practical application of the observed effects.

Abstract: The article is a summary of sociological research undertaken in the year 2003 among Catholics in Byelorussia of which the numbers are estimated at a million people. Most of them consider themselves also as Polish. The aim of the research was to find out their attitudes towards the changes happening in the language of liturgy of Catholic Church in that country. These changes are characterized by a gradual replacement of the Polish and Latin language in liturgy by the Byelorussian language. The priests from Poland were the main initiators of these changes. The research has been conducted among 43 randomly chosen parishes and 4 dioceses existing in this country. 860 people have taken part in the research. The results show us that the process of 'bielorussianization' of the religious life in Byelorussia is highly advanced now and still takes place. In 16% of the parishes Russian or Byelorussian has replaced Polish totally and in the remaining parishes Polish and Byelorussian are used in various proportions. 66% of the respondents definitely prefer Polish as their liturgical language. Nevertheless the younger generation accepts the changes from Polish to Byelorussian. The result is a rapid decline in Polish national consciousness and an increase in choosing a Byelorussia self-identification. In majority of cases Polish Churches are the only places where Poles can hear the Polish language.

Abstract: This paper deals with the problem of the predictors of purchasing proenvironmental products. The research sample consisted of 109 people at different age from general population. It was assumed that higher level of ecological awareness, stronger feeling of ecological responsibility and stronger general responsibility influence proenvironmental consumer choices. Analysis of the results reveals that consumers that think they have great control over their consumer behaviours, possess stronger feeling of general responsibility, feel shared responsibility for the present condition of the environment and have stronger beliefs about mutual connections with the nature are more willing to buy ecological products. However, the influence of demographic variables (age, sex, education) on choices of ecological products was not found.

Abstract: Evaluated the impact of a language questionnaire, a cultural background of researcher and a perceived national identity by the others on psychological reactance of bicultural persons from the former Soviet Union, who studied in Poland. Half of the participants was informed, that an experimenter is from Poland and half, that he is the same background. Participants completed twice the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale. First, it was a Polish version. Two weeks later was used a Russian/Ukrainian version. Results indicated that higher level of psychological reactance was caused by a foreign background of researcher and a foreign-language questionnaire.

Abstract: This paper explores the problem of the predictors of purchasing proenvironmental products. The research sample consisted of 102 people at different age from general population. It was assumed that the level of ecological awareness, the feeling of ecological responsibility and the responsibility as a personal trait determine the intention of proenvironmental buying. Analysis of the results reveals that there are five mutually no correlated factors which are statistically significant predictors of buying intention: sensitivity to social problems, perceived scale of ecological threat, feeling of unity with the environment, feeling of guilt about the pollution and feeling of shared responsibility for the condition of the environment. The results confirm that the variables included in the model of the theory of planned behavior by Ajzen and Fishbein jointly account for considerable percentage (42%) of buying intention’s variance; however, direct influence of subjective norms on the intention was not found. Mutual connections between the variables of the model and the predictors identified as significant were tested through the paths analysis.

Abstract: The purpose of the empirical research on the Polish youth from abroad studying at the moment in Lublin, its finding and discussion was to attempt at an answer the following questions: 1) what significance do the subjects ascribe to some selected criteria which decide about their national membership? 2) what is their governing principle when they assess the importance of those criteria? 3) what are the psychosocial conditions of that assessment? The differing traits, making up a group of necessary and sufficient conditions for a man to be a member of a given nation, are the following: genealogical origin, knowledge about the national culture, language, religion (denomination), private choice, place (country) of birth or residence, place of baptism, data about the parents’ nationality as they are contained in the certificate of birth. It has been stated that the group of subjects under study, while defining the significance of the factors deciding about national membership, evaluated them basically along two dimensions. The first one can be interpreted as a dimension of the trait of being a member of a community versus the trait of belonging to a territory. These dimensions maybe defined as genealogical determinism versus freedom of choice of national membership. No relationship has been found between the ranking and such variables as a permanent place of residence (town, village), sex and year of studies at the level of statistical significance. Greater or lesser differentiation in the ranks of particular criteria depends on the nationality of the mother and father, national self-identification of the person under study, the language of communication in the family, the kind of relationship with the surrounding during their stay in Poland and concomitant frustration on the grounds of national issues or religion.